Grecian Goddess Dress

Designer featured in Brides $10000 richer

She found her inspiration, her muse from a college experience a world away.

Nandi Fernandez, 32, of Kendall, has won Brides magazine’s third annual wedding gown competition with an ethereal goddess-like dress that’s featured on the July cover.

Fernandez was awarded the top prize in Operation Dream Dress design competition after the five finalists were featured on a runway show airing last Thursday on . She also received $10,000; she plans to use the prize money to launch a collection of bridal gowns, cocktail dresses and upscale separates.

“… Nandi’s gown was the embodiment of this year’s theme — a vision of romance while maintaining a sense of creativity and sophistication,” said Millie Martini Bratten, editor in chief of Brides.

Fernandez, who designs under her maiden name, Nandi Chin, was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. She trained at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and the Fashion Institute of Technology In New York.

Her ivory silk gown was inspired by Botticelli’s painting. I just fell in love with it and thought it would be perfect for my design,” says Fernandez, who works at an upscale boutique in Coral Gables. “I wanted my dress to be Grecian-like with pearls and bugle beads. I designed the bodice to feel like a big conch shell with lots of draping and layers.”

Nearly 400 designers submitted sketches. They were narrowed down to 24 semi-finalists who created the gowns and posted photos online for nationwide voting. Over 16,000 votes were cast to determine the top five.

Fernandez designed her dress in 10 days, working into the wee hours in her small home studio.

“The hours were crazy,’’ she says, “but when you love with you do, it doesn’t feel like work.

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